Clutches



May 1, 1956 F. v. HART 2,743,802

CLUTCHES Filed Jan. 7, 1955" 2 Sheets-Shea?I 1 n@ l 46 -f fihi" ,'56

,ff l X 54 m4 "`l1 56 Z May 1, 1956 F. v. HART 2,743,802

CLUTCHES Filed Jan '7. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Fred V Har 2,743,802 Patented May l, 1955*'.5A

CLUTCHES Fred V. Hart, Marblehead, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. Si., a corn poration of New Jersey Application January 7, 1953, Serial No. 329,943

' 9 Claims. (Cl. 19Z-27) This invention relates to clutches and more particularly to 4clutch mechanism in which a ydriven member is automatically disconnected from a drive `member Iafter a predetermined amount of rotation of the drive member. The invention is illustrated as embodied in -a clutch of the socalled `Horton or roll type.

An object of the invention is 'to provide an improved roll type clutch having means to insure the complete disengagement of the drive and driven members regardless ofthe rate of rotation of lthe drive member. To this end and in accordance with a feature of the invention, the position of the `drive roll of the clutch is controlled by a roll carrier rotatable with the driven 'member and normally urged into a position relatively thereto in which the roll lconnects the drive and driven members, there being means arranged to move the roll carrier in a reverse direction at the completion of a predetermined amount of rotation of the drive member thereby to carry the roll out of driving engagement with the drive member. Thus the disengagement of the roll is not dependent upon the momentum of the driven member so that com plete disengagement of the roll with the drive member is insured even though the drive member is turning at avery low rate of speed.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention means are provided for locking the driven member against turning movement in either direction upon movement of the drive roll out of driving engagement with the drive member.

The above and other features of the invention including various details of construction and novel combinations of parts will now :be described by reference to the drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, i

Fig. 1` is a front elevation partly in sec-tion of a clutch assembly in which the invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line Lil-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line lill-lli of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line lV-IV of Fig. 3.

The clutch assembly includes a shaft 1t) journaled in the upper ends of arms i2 carried by Va base i4. The shaft l@ is arranged to be driven when the clutch mein bers are engaged and has secured to it a pulley which may be connected by a belt 16 to any suitable driven member. A constantly rotating drive pulley 18 is journaled on a bushing 2t) surrounding the shaft 10 and receives power from a drive member through a belt 22.

Extending laterally from, and integral with the pulley lil is a cylindrical flange 2d into' which is pressed a hardened steel ring 26 which forms, with the pulley, the drive member of the clutch. Secured to the shaft lli) is a driven member 28 which, as shown in Fig. 4, is genen ally triangular in shape providing three flat surfaces Sil to which power is transmitted from the ring 26 by means of rolls 32. These rolls are somewhat smaller in diameter than the maximum spacing between the ila-t surfaces 3i) ofthe driven member 28 and the inner surface ofthe steel ring 26 so that with the rolls held in the positions attentif-ice with the cam 44.

shown in Fig. 4, no driving force is transmitted from the pulley to the driven member 2'8.

The rolls are held between a flange 3t4 integral with the pulley 13 and a roll retaining member 36 which is loose on the shaft 10 and is located between the driven member 2d and the driven pulley 15. The roll retaining member 36 carries three sets of pins 38, 40 extending laterally from the roll retainer into the spaces formed between the ring 26 of the drive member and the flat surfaces 30 of the driven member 28. A spring 42 is carried by each pin 38 and has an end actingon the associated roll 32 to urge it toward the pin 4t). The other end of each spring d?. bears against the adjacent fiat surface ot' the driven member 28, exerting a force tending to rotate the roll retaining member 36 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, relative to the driven member 2li whereupon the rolls 32 move into driving relationship with the driving member 21S if the roll retaining member is free to turn.

The roll retainer 36 has formed thereon a cam 44 (Fig.- 2) and a cam 46. The cam 46 has a shoulder 48 engaged by a shoulder 5b of a control arm 52 with the parts in the `positions shown in Fig. 2 andthe clutch disengaged Thus the roll retainer is locked against clockwisemove ment and the springs t2 are ineffective to cause driving engagement of the rolls 32 with the ring 26 of the pulleylS inasmuch as such driving engagement can only be effected by turning the roll retaining member 36 carrying the pins di) in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4.

The control arm :'52 is pivoted at 54 on a. lever S6 which is Iin turn pivoted at 5S in the base plate 114. A spring 6d is connected to the control arm 52 and to a retaining member 62 in the base plate ld thereby urging the lever 56 in a clockwise direction with its upper end in contact This cam has a drop-oit portion 64 the function of which will appear as the description proceeds. Carried by the driven member 2S is a pin 66 extending through a slot 68 in the roll retainer 36 and arranged, with the parts in the positions shown in i Fig. 2, in which the clutch is disengaged,l to engage the upper end of the lever 56. This prevents accidental movement of the driven member 28 in a counterclockwise direction with the clutch disengaged and clockwise movement thereof is prevented by engagement of the shoulder' 50 of the control arm 52 with the shoulder di; of `the cam 46, which prevents clockwise movement of the roll retainer 36. The rolls 32, held. by the springs i2 against the pins fit) and lthe surfaces 30 of the driven member prevent the driven member from turning clock-l Consequently, theA driven member is held against rotation in either direction.

To cause engagement of the clutch parts, the control.

arm 52 is moved downwardly moving its shoulder 50 out of engagement with the shoulder 48 of the roll retainer 36 whereupon the springs l2 act to turn the roll retainer slightly in a clockwise direction or until-the rolls 32 are wedged between the ring 26 and the flat surfaces 30 of the driven member. The member 28 now begins to rotate, and with it the roll retainer 36. DuringI this rotation the cam 44 acts upon the lever 56 to move it in a counterclockwise direction as `viewed in Fig. 2.`

This causes the control arm 52 to move to the left against the action of the spring 60 and this action continues until. the parts approach the positions shown in lFig. 2. At the conclusion of one revolution of the shaft 10 the lever 56 drops ott the shoulder 64 whereupon the spring 60 moves the control arm 52 to the right, its shoulder vengaging the.V

shoulder `i8 of the cam 46 imparting a blow thereto caus.-

ing counterclockwise movement of the roll retainer 36, whereupon the pins 40 (l'Fig.` 4) move the rolls 32 with the roll retainer into the positions illustrated against the force springsr42, thusfreeing the driven member from the.) driyepullev., Retrogrademovement. of thedrivenk member 28 at this time is prevented by engagement of the pin 66 with the upper end of the lever 56.

The speedofrotation of the-drive1pulley.18:is entirelyy immaterial and does not,` affect-the proper oper-ation. of thef clutch-since themomentumoff the parts-.isnot relied upontoimove ytheroll retainer` to` carry the drive rolls` out ofengagementiwith-theidrive pulley. The force required tocause-.proper disengagement ofA the parts is stored in theaspringl 60- and is available at the compietion of a revolutioniof the driven member to effect the disengage ment andzbringthe drivenmember immediately to rest.

Trhus itl Willbe seen-that the clutch isequally effective forf any` speed` of operationl of the drive member and danger ofundue Wearing-of the parts because of inadequate disengagement thereof due to lack of sufiicient momentum becausefof a low speedvof rotation, is eliminated` Having thusdescribedr my invention, what I claim as nevv-and desire-to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis:

l. A roll type clutch comprising a drive member, a driven member, a roll for-connecting said drive and driven members, a roll carrier for moving said roll into and-out offdrivingposition and arranged to turn with said driving andV driven'membera'means acting on said roll carrier to turniit inl a direction to move said roll into driving position, and means operative automatically at a predetermined time'in the rotation of said roll carrier for imparting a blow to the roll carrier to move it in a direction opposite to thedirection of rotation of said driven member to carry the roll out ofdriving-position.

2. A roll type clutch comprising a drive member, a driven member, a roll for connecting said drive and drivenmembers, a roll carrier for moving saidfroll into and loutof-'driving position and arranged to turn with saiddriving-V andv driven members, means acting on said roll carrier to turn it in a direction to move said roll into driving'v position, means operative automatically at a predetermined-time in the rotation of said roll carrier for impartinga blow tothe roll carrier to move it in a direction opposite toi the direction of rotation of said driven member-to carry the roll out of driving position, and means: associatedV with said last-namedmeans for locking saiddriven member against continued rotation.

3. A roll type clutch comprising a drive member, a driven member, a roll for connecting said drive and driven members, a roll carrier for moving said roll into and-out of driving position and arranged to turn with said driving and drivenmembers, means acting on said roll carriery to'- turn it in a direction to move said'rollinto. driving position, means operative automatically at apredetermined time in the rotation ofsaid roll carrier for imp artingha blow to the rollcarrier to move it in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said driven memberA to carry the roll out of' driving v position, and means forpreventing turning of'the driven member in either direction with the roll carrier movedl into a position invwhich the roll is out of driving engagement with thegdrive member.

4: A roll type clutch comprisinga drive member, a driven member, a roll arranged when in a predetermined position relative to said driven member to` connect said' drive anddriven, members for conjoint rotation, a rolli carrier for controlling the position of said roll relative toy 5*. A roll type clutch comprising a drive membena h minedy time in theconjoint rotation of said` drive andV driven members, and means associated with said lastnamed means for locking4 said driven member against continuedrotation.

6. A roll type, clutch comprisinga drive member, a driven member, a roll arranged when in a predetermined position relative to said drive member to connect said drive and driven members for conjoint rotation, a roll carrier for controlling the position of said roll relative-to said driven member, meansurging said roll carrier and: roll into driving position, acontrol arm arranged uponA movementvin-one direction to move said roll carrier andy roll out of" driving position, said roll carrierv having a` shoulder in its periphery engaged byy said control arm when the arm is moved in said one direction, a spring connected to said arm for moving the arm in said` oneA direction, a lever on which said arm, is carried, andra camon saidroll carrieracting on-said lever to move the 1everand the arm against the action of said spring and to` release the lever and armv at a predetermined point inthe rotation `olsaidfdriven member.

7. A roll type clutch comprising a drive member, adriven member, arollarranged when ina predetermined' position relative to said drive member to connect said' driveand driven members for conjoint rotation, arroll carrierv for controllingthe position of said roll relative to said driven .memben means urging said roll carrier and roll into driving position, al control arm arranged upon movement-in one direction to move said roll carrier and' roll` outI of driving position, said roll carrier having a shoulder iniits periphery engaged byv saidconL trol arm when the arm is moved in said one direction, a spring connected to: said arm for'moving the arm in said" one direction, a lever on which said` arm is carried, a cam on saidroll carrier acting on said lever to move the lever and the arm against the action of said spring andl to release the lever andarm at a predetermined'point'in the rotation of said driven member, and.

means carried by said driven member` cooperating with said lever to prevent reverse rotation of said driven member upon movement of said roll carrier andv roll out of driving position.

8l A roll type clutchl comprising` a rotatable drive member havingva circular internal drive surface, 4a driven member. concentric with said drive member and having a tlat surface formingz'a segmental space with the circular internal drive surface ofsaid drive member, ya drive roll within said space and arranged upon movement into a predetermined position relative to said flat surface to connect saiddrive member and said ,driven member for conjoint rotation, a roll carrier adjacent to said driven memberandrotatable therewith, a pin carriedby said roll carrier and extending into said segmental space ahead of said roll in the direction of rotation ofvs'aid drive member whereby upon movement of the roll carrier, in the reverse direction the roll is moved by said pin out of driving position, spring means associated with'said roll carrier urging said roll toward saidpin and urging theroll carrier in a direction to move the roll intodriving position, and means operative at a predetermined point intherotation of, said rdrive. member for` movingA said roll Vcarrier in thereverse-direction to. disconnect the driven member from the drive member.

9. A roll type clutch comprising a rotatable dr'ive member having acircular internal drive surface, a driven member concentric with said drive member and having a flat surface forming a segmental space with the circular internal drive surface of said drive member, a drive roll Within said space and arranged upon movement into a predetermined position relative to said flat surface to connect said drive member and said driven member for conjoint rotation, a'roll carrier adjacent to said driven member and rotatable therewith, a pin carried by said roll carrier and extending into said segmental space ahead of said roll in the direction of rotation or' said drive member whereby upon movement of the roll carrier in the reverse direction the roll is moved by said pin out of driving position, spring means associated with said roll carrier urging said roll toward said pin and urging the roll carrier in a direction to move the roll into driving position, a control arrn arranged upon movement in one direction to move said roll carrier and roll against the action of said spring means out of driving position, said roll carrier having a shoulder in its periphery engaged by said control arm when the arm is moved in said one direction, a spring connected to said arm for moving the arm in said one direction, a lever on which said arm is carried, and a cam on said roll carrier acting on said lever to move the lever and the arm against the action of said spring and t0 release the lever and arm at a predetermined point in the rotation of said drive member.

503,311 1,578,370 Ross Mar. 30, 1926 2,140,737 Dickens Dec. 20, 1938 

